Erkinger Route

The start of the route is in front of the Kurhaus in Bad Liebenzell at the large Erkinger statue. First, we pass the town hall heading towards the federal highway, walking about 200 m along the sidewalk on the left. At the first signpost, we cross the federal highway up the hill. Many steps then lead us immediately to a beautiful path. Above the Bridge of Friendship, it is worth admiring the mighty Buntsandstein rocks. Our enchanted path continues uphill, and from above we catch occasional glimpses of the Kurhaus with its beautiful spa gardens and in the distance to the east, the elevated village of Monakam.

It gets exciting once, as a huge tree lying across the path requires a small climbing effort. Shortly afterwards, you arrive at your first station, the giant's nursery. Tables and benches on the old castle plateau invite you to take a short break. Then the path continues fairly flat along a forest road, where after a few hundred meters near the Finkenberg waterworks, two benches offer you a magnificent view of the castle and Bad Liebenzell.

After this feast for the eyes, a journey into the past follows, the tower construction. Five large wine barrels show how great the giant's thirst was. But nowadays, there is no wine inside; instead, if you turn the barrels properly, you will learn much about the giant Erkinger. Our path then descends slightly, where after about 15 minutes at the giant’s table and chair, a truly huge surprise awaits you. A wonderful spot in the Lengenbach valley invites you to rest.

After this special event, we turn right and hike up on the gravel road towards the castle. We cross the main road and after 20 meters, go up left towards a gate. Just before this, we veer left again and reach a great natural path which we zigzag uphill to Burg Liebenzell. On this path, we also reach the spinning game – another station of the Erkinger route.

Below the castle awaits the next station for diligent hikers and explorers – the siege of the castle as brave knights decide to strike back against the giant. In a loop, the last steep ascent leads up to the castle courtyard. Here a detour to the castle tower is definitely worthwhile (observe closing and opening times, see description).

At the top, a breathtaking view awaits us of the deep Nagold valley below and the heights around Bad Liebenzell. Take a look through the telescope and think about what you see because you will surely want to report on it later. After this exciting journey into the past, it’s back to nature. Soon we are below the castle again and make our way through the meadows back to the town – always follow the blue signposting.

If you now hear bright little bells, it’s the goats grazing on the castle hill from May to October. We cross the meadows of the Castle Hill goats, reach the city wall, and encounter a cobblestone path that leads us through the houses. We continue to the street, cross it to the right, and walk to the large giant’s book; then the path takes us down on the right to the town lake. From there, it’s just a few minutes back to our starting point, the Kurhaus.